Bloodshed (Luigi's Mansion FanFic)
by xX-Deity-Xx
Summary: Vincent van Gore has created new vicious ghosts, their intentions being strictly to kill and destroy any life form that makes its way into the mansion. Because Professor E. Gadd helped save Luigi's brother out from the clutches of King Boo, Luigi volunteers to help him with his ghost-studying career. Will Luigi successfully fulfill Gadd's request, or will this be his bloody end...?
1. 章 1 (Chapter 1)

彡离境彡 (Departure)

"Can you believe it, Luigi?" Professor E. Gadd exclaims in utter joy, "I'm sure you remember Vincent van Gore, right?"

"Oh, he's that crazy artist guy," Luigi replies blandly, "What about him?"

"Well," Gadd continues, "I've been noticing a change in atmosphere of the mansion, and he may have something to do with it. You know what this means?"

"You expect me to go back there, don't you...?"

"That depends if you're up for the challenge." Gadd begins shuffling inside an old, tattered bag, "I got some good news and bad news for you, sonny. Which one do you want to hear first?"

"Um," Luigi fidgets with his fingers uneasily, "The bad news."

"The bad news is that Gore created vicious, killer ghosts. Trust me, these ghosts are nothing like the ones you've encountered before! They'll rip you to shreds when they ever get a chance!"

"WHAT?!" Luigi shouts in disbelief, his voice quivering as he speaks, "T-tell me the good news n-now...!"

"Here's the good news: You can tell the killer ghosts apart from the rest!"

Luigi loudly exhales in relief, placing a hand on his forehead. "Could you please give me more information about these g-ghosts?"

"Of course!" Gadd says in excitement, "What would you like to know?"

"How can I tell them apart, and what attracts them?"

"Pay close attention to claws and razor sharp fangs, boyo!"

"My god, they all have sharp fangs, Gadd! Well, most of them do anyway."

"Oh well. You asked what attracts them? Why, living things, ESPECIALLY humans get their attention."

"Mama mia...! I'm a gonna die!"

"Not if you keep this with you at all times," Gadd says matter-of-factly, holding out an object covered with blue satin cloth. "Unwrap this and use it ONLY when you're inside the mansion. Wear it at all times and you'll be just fine!"

Luigi carefully places the mysterious object into his overall pocket, making sure it won't fall out while he's walking. He then begins making his way up the ladder to leave.

"Leaving already, Luigi?" Gadd asks with concern in his voice.

"You helped me save my brother," Luigi speaks softly, "So I will help you with your research."

Gadd's toothless grin is the last thing Luigi sees before he leaves the safe of the bunker and into the dark and dangerous night...


	2. 章 2 (Chapter 2)

彡 欢迎回来，路易吉 ·...彡

(Welcome Back, Luigi...)

Luigi's trembling hands grip the cold nozzle of the Poltergust 3000 as he slowly approaches the mansion. Each loud crunch of the rough, bumpy gravel below his feet brings back terrifying memories; Mario's screams being heard from the well, Boolossus nearly crushing and killing Luigi, King Boo cackling evilly as Luigi weeps for his beloved brother... All of those things made him wonder why Gadd never recaptured the portrait ghosts.

Luigi's heartbeat begins accelerating as he outstretches his arm to grasp the cold, metallic and rusty doorknob.

"This is for you, Gadd..." Luigi mumbles to himself before reaching into his pocket and twisting the key into the keyhole. Thin flakes of rust crumble to the ground as he pulls out the key and slowly twists the doorknob. A blast of cold, stale air meets his face when he opens the front door, reminding him of the horrible things that happened the last time he came.

"Vincent van Gore's studio is so far away..." Luigi thinks aloud, "I'll probably be killed before I get there..."

Luigi quietly steps into the foyer and closes the door behind him. Little did he know that he wasn't alone.

"Welcome back, plumber boy," a sarcastic voice utters behind Luigi.

"WHO'S THERE?!" Luigi violently spins around, knocking off the Poltergust in the process.

"Who do you think would reside in an isolated, haunted mansion, you fool?"

Luigi looks in the direction of the voice and widens his eyes as he stares at a Gold Ghost.

"You seem surprised," the ghost mocks, clearly holding a grudge against Luigi, "Let me guess, you expect me to throw you the key to open this door."

"W-what are you t-t-talking a-about...?!" Luigi stutters, more terrified than his voice sounds.

"If I were you, I'd pick up that ghost-catching vacuüm thing of yours before something bad happens."

Without hesitation, Luigi bends down to lift the Poltergust from off the floor. At that moment, a Purple Puncher violently shoves him to the ground, knocking the mysterious object out of his pocket.

"Ooh, I wonder what THIS is?" The Purple Puncher snickers, tossing the wrapped object up and down.

"P-put that down!" Luigi screams in terror, finally remembering what Gadd said about having it with him at all times.

"You should open it," The Gold Ghost insists, looking for a greater reaction in Luigi. "Let's make him pay for the things he did in the past."

The Purple Puncher begins taking off the cloth, revealing a tiny, silver, box-shaped trinket. Both ends of the trinket are fixed to a chain of light blue, interlocking links.

"A necklace?" The Gold Ghost laughs, "What's so great about that stupid thing?"

"If you let me keep this," the Purple Puncher says to Luigi, "Then we'll let you go."

Luigi has no idea how that necklace is supposed to protect him, but he quickly gets up without thinking and runs through the main double doors below the stairs.

"That idiot!" The Gold Ghost snickers, "He even left his vacuüm!"

"Let's take that, too," The Purple Puncher insists, "Then there'll be no way for him to defend himself!"

Both the Gold Ghost and the Purple Puncher leave with Luigi's items, laughing at how much of a coward he is.


	3. 章 3 (Chapter 3)

彡相信在你的敌人彡 (Trust in Your Enemies)

Panic begins setting in as Luigi tumbles down the hallway, wandering aimlessly. The cold atmosphere is beginning to prove too much, for his body is shivering uncontrollably and is starting to go rigid.

Groping the walls, Luigi finally finds what he thinks is the door to Madame Clairvoya's room. At least she doesn't have any intentions on hurting him.

In a desperate attempt, Luigi knocks on the door, hoping for Madame Clairvoya to answer the door and tell him what his future is.

After a minute or two of knocking, Luigi begins to change his tactic. He was tired of cowering back every time he sees some stupid ghost, or startling himself with his own footsteps, or giving up when things don't go his way. This time, he's going to show these ghosts who's boss!

Straightening his posture and tightly clenching his fists, Luigi rams the door with his shoulder, knocking the door from its hinges and onto the floor followed by a loud thud.

"What the hell-Oh, it's the man in green," a voice utters, clearly annoyed by his grand entrance.

Luigi beats himself up mentally for breaking down the wrong door. That voice clearly didn't belong to Madame Clairvoya,but he stands his ground, reluctant to make his fear known.

"You don't scare me," Luigi sneers, surprised by the sincerity in his voice. "I'm not here to hurt you, whoever you are, but I won't hesitate to defend myself."

"HA!" the ghost mocks, clearly being amused by Luigi's change in determination, "I guess that was you knocking too, wasn't it? You think you'll win just because I'm small?"

"...You must be one of those Shy Guy ghosts!"

"Oh, that's right. You can't see a thing without your flashlight, now can you?"

"My eyes will adjust to the dark, kid! You have no advantage over me!"

"KID?!" The (green) Shy Guy ghost bellows, "Now you've done it!"

Luigi sees two more Shy Guy ghosts materialize, one purple and the other red. All three of them lift their spears above their heads, charging towards him. Luigi has to think fast. In a flash, he throws himself to the right, dodging their attack. He quickly regains equilibrium and stands firm, ignoring the pain in his left ankle.

"Wait," Luigi rushes out, his cover now blown, "I don't want to fight! I came here to see Vincent van Gore!"

The red and purple Shy Guy ghosts slowly lower their weapons, staring at each other in confusion. The green one cautiously approaches Luigi, still keeping a tight grip on his spear.

"Vincent van Gore?" The green Shy Guy ghost asks with a stern voice, "Is this some sort of trick?"

"No, I swear," Luigi confirms, "And to prove it, I didn't bring the Poltergust with me..."

"Sounds about right," The green Shy Guy ghost utters, considering that he is unarmed.

"That's very stupid of you," The red Shy Guy ghost says to Luigi, "Especially after what our maker has done."

"W-what did he do?" Luigi asks, voice uneven. This was it. Luigi would soon find out Gadd's true purpose was of sending him back to this haunted mansion.

"No, I want to tell him," The green Shy Guy ghost interjects, "The two of you can leave. He's not that much of a threat anymore."

The two Shy Guy ghosts disappear, leaving the green one and Luigi in the ballroom. Luigi knew he would most likely not like what he's about to hear, but he has to do this for his old friend, Gadd.


	4. 章 4 (Chapter 4)

彡一个明明白白的事实真相。彡 (An Inkling of the Truth)

The two of them stand there silently, watching each other as if either one of them would make a sudden move. The tension begins to build in Luigi as he organizes his thoughts together in his head. He had so many questions, but he knows this Shy Guy ghost will most likely not answer them all, so he decides to ask the most important ones.

"J-just to make sure," Luigi clarifies with a very shaky voice, "We're not enemies anymore...?"

"We ARE enemies," the green Shy Guy ghost snaps back, "Don't get too comfortable around us just because I'm respecting you a little. Now what do you want from our maker?"

"...Your maker?"

"Vincent van Gore, you idiot! What do want to know?!"

"Oh!" Luigi smacks his forehead, getting his thoughts straight. This may be his one and only chance to get his questions answered.

"W-well," Luigi stutters, "I've heard some rumors about him making... ...k-killer ghosts, and I was wondering if he would give me some more information about them."

"You really are hopeless," the Shy Guy ghost utters, turning his back to Luigi, "Knowing how you are, you'd probably die before you reach his studio. I mean, really? You LEFT that vacuum, your only way of fighting back?"

"I can use my bare hands instead," Luigi says convincingly, though he truly doubted he was capable of taking down any ghost at all.

"These 'killer' ghosts that you speak of," The Shy Guy ghost resumes, "Are not that easy to defeat. Sure, it would be much less of a hassle if only you brought the vacuum thing... But who cares? I don't."

"Will you help me get to Gore's studio then?"

"Who are you kidding?!" The Shy Guy ghost scoffs, facing Luigi once again while pointing his spear towards his face, "I am never helping you or your kind! I'm outta here...!"

The Shy Guy ghost then disappears, leaving Luigi to fend for himself without any weapons. Luigi knew he has to act fast. before more ghosts appear and take him down.

'I don't need the Poltergust,' Luigi thinks to himself, 'I can make my own weapon to fight with!'

He dashes out of the Ballroom and into the hallway once again, but this time, he knows where he is and where Vincent van Gore's studio is located. He can't stay here much longer; the pain in his left ankle is getting more intense and he's attracting more ghosts. This is a life or death situation... Take his chances to help Gadd, even though he's totally defenseless, or get the hell out of this mansion, somewhat unscathed.

Luigi turns to his right and begins creeping down the dark, gloomy hallway. He has to quicken his pace, for he has no way of defending himself if he were suddenly attacked by a vicious ghost.

Luigi finally reaches the end of the hallway, now branching off in two different directions. To the left are where Melody Pianissima, Slim Bankshot, and the bathroom & washroom are. To the right would bring him to the Wreck Room, eventually leading him upstairs to the second floor. Luigi has no choice but to go right, if he wants to find out more about Vincent van Gore.

With a short burst of energy, Luigi swivels to the right, dashing towards the door with all of his might. He rams the door with his already sore shoulder, breaking open the door, then falling down to the floor in pain. He doesn't have much energy left, and his adrenaline levels are plummeting down, causing him to become much more sensitive to the bone-chilling environment.

Suddenly, Luigi's breath begins shallowing every second he breathes, as if some strong, invisible force is pressing hard against his chest. The atmosphere is becoming too heavy for him to breathe normally, leaving him no choice but to pant. The cold air stings his throat and nostrils as he uses the remainder of his strength to crawl up the two flights of stairs, trying hard to ignore his aching shoulder and his cramping ankle. Even though his eyes are adjusting to the darkness, the atmosphere continues to thicken, nearly causing him to asphyxiate.

"You look tired," a voice breathes, making Luigi jump to his feet.

"W-who's there...?!" Luigi manages to choke out, his voice quivering with every breath he takes.

"I can end your suffering," the raspy voice continues, "That is the reason why you're here, is it not? Looks like your old friend really wants to get rid of you..."

Luigi whips around, nearly knocking himself off of balance to face the ghost who dare talks about Gadd.

"You know nothing! " Luigi snaps back, tightly clenching his fists, "You ghosts wouldn't have the slightest idea of what a friend is, so keep your stupid mouth shut!"

"Foolish boy," the ghost growls, emerging from the shadows. "I would keep my mouth shut if I were you. It is not wise to talk smack when you are empty-handed..."

Luigi's eyes grow wide as he stares at the ghost in utter fear. Since when did Vincent van Gore make Grabbing Ghosts talk? And secondly, why does this Grabber have sharp claws? No wonder why Gadd told Luigi to wear the necklace at all times...

"You look surprised," the Purple Grabber hisses, slowly moving closer towards Luigi, "I thought you knew all about us killer ghosts. Instead of asking Gore about his creations, why not ask the creations themselves...?"

Luigi has three choices to make: try to escape, try to take on this killer Purple Grabber, or ask this untrustworthy ghost all of the questions he has. The choice Luigi is about to make will change his life forever...


	5. 章 5 (Chapter 5)

彡不好的判断彡 (Bad Judgement)

"No way," Luigi utters in a very stern voice, "You're not here to help me at all! I don't have a death wish, okay?!"

"Oh, yes you do," the killer Purple Grabber growls, moving closer towards Luigi. "Here you are, walking into a mansion completely unarmed with no means for defending yourself or contacting the outside world if you were to be in danger, which you're in right now. You've just walked into the cold arms of Death, pal."

"Since when did you uneducated ghosts ever use metaphors while talking? I'm impressed."

"Provoking me won't make anything better for you, human, so how about I kill you?"

In a desperate attempt to flee, Luigi launches himself toward the stairs, skipping over two steps at a time. A pair of claws tightly grab Luigi's left leg, tearing through his overalls and slicing through his skin.

"URK...!" Luigi groans as he bites down on his bottom lip, muffling his screams. With one violent yank, the killer Purple Grabber knocks Luigi off of balance, sending him tumbling down the stairs.

Luigi clutches his left leg in pain, his hands trembling as he presses torn cloth onto his ripped skin, hoping to slow down the blood flow. The smell of his own blood fills his nostrils, sending a wave of nausea through his body.

"You smell so good," the killer Purple Grabber grins, approaching Luigi, "Your flesh will taste even better."

"Get away f-from me!" Luigi yells, too injured to stand up.

"You're so weak... What were you thinking, coming into this mansion without anything on you? Looks like your stupidity caught up to you."

"You want to know the truth, creepy-ass ghost?!" Luigi attempts to stand up but soon falls back down, whining from the pain in his left leg. "I d-don't care what you think about me... ...a-and if you truly think that I would leave that v-vacuum, you're retarded as FUCK!"

The killer Purple Grabber sinks his sharp claws into the middle of Luigi's chest, making Luigi scream in pain. Warm tears begin trickling down his cheeks, turning cold from the cold, chilly atmosphere.

"I'm tired of your insults," the ghost growls, looming in closer to Luigi's face, "I'm the reason why you're still alive and breathing. If I let you make your way to my master, you would've been killed before you had a chance to reach the doorknob... I want to be the one who kills you, not the others."

"LET'S MAKE A DEAL!" Luigi screams in fear, reluctant to think about him being killed by this ghost.

"I don't make deals with my food," the killer Purple Grabber hisses, "Besides, you'll end up attracting more hungry ghosts if I don't get rid of you-"

"I'LL DO ANYTHING! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME, I SWEAR I'LL DO ANYTHING YOU WANT!"

"Oh, really? How about you keep quiet while I rip out your throat?"

Luigi, using his right leg, kicks the crap out of the killer Purple Grabber, sending him crashing into the stairs. Luigi knows that if he doesn't stop the bleeding in his chest and leg, he'll possibly die from blood loss.

'Better than being eaten alive!' Luigi thinks to himself, struggling to stand on his right foot. Before he has a chance to turn around to escape, he is harshly knocked to the ground, head first.


	6. 章 6 (Chapter 6)

彡采取行动彡 (Taking Action)

Crumbled sheets of paper litter the floor of Gadd's lab as he sloppily scribbles down ideas and blueprints of a new invention.

"The switch should be located near the hands," Gadd mumbles while typing on a greasy keyboard, "Allowing Luigi to quickly turn on and off the current of electricity, which will cause the lights on the device to flash on, stunning any ghost who strays near him! ...But what if there's a short circuit in one of the wires?!" Gadd crumbles up another sheet of paper, throwing it on the floor and starting fresh once more.

"If the device consisted of parallel circuits instead, the short circuit wouldn't affect all of the bulbs... Ugggh, but what if the switch gets broken- HOLY CHEESE!"

Gadd snatches up his Game Boy Horror, desperate to contact Luigi to see if he's fine.

"Luigi!" He yells, "Can you hear me?! Please pick up!"

...

Luigi's heart skips a beat as he hears the familiar ring of the Game Boy Horror. As bad as he wants to answer his old friend, Gadd, he doesn't want to make any sudden movements that could possibly startle the killer Purple Grabber. He then realizes something he should have realized a long time ago.

"...I'M SO FRICKIN' RETARDED!" Luigi screams to himself, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Indeed you are," the killer Purple Grabber scoffs, picking up the Game Boy Horror. "And because of that, your friend will never hear from you again."

"I'm not afraid of you anymore!" Luigi stands up, more adrenaline rushing through his veins. He snags the killer Purple Grabber's arm with one hand as he spreads out the other, forming a small flame in his palm.

"You're bluffing," the killer Purple Grabber growls, crushing the Game Boy Horror in his claws, "You don't have enough energy to form a fireball. You've lost too much blood."

"You may have h-hurt me physically, but you won't ruin my image! I am the brother of Mario, one of the greatest people alive!"

"Mario, being trapped in a painting for days and begging for his scrawny little brother to save him? You call that great?"

"Your insults don't affect me anymore!" Luigi screams, his hand bursting into hot flames, "I'll make sure you disappear forever, along with your so-called MASTER!"

In a flash, the killer Purple Grabber sinks his sharp fangs into Luigi's throat, in an attempt to flee from his grip. Luigi screams to the top of his lungs as he slugs the killer ghost in his mouth, setting him on fire. The killer Purple Grabber lets out an ear-splitting shriek as he is engulfed in flames, throwing himself against the wall.

Luigi tightly clutches his bleeding throat, but it's not enough to stop his blood from spewing out. His gloves become drenched with warm, crimson blood and he slowly begins drifting into unconsciousness.

...

Gadd nervously fumbles with his new invention, a jacket made from wires and tiny light bulbs, which turn on and off with two switches, located on both sleeves. He slips into the jacket, hoping that it would be enough just to check on Luigi, since he never answered the Game Boy Horror.

'I sure hope Luigi's okay,' Gadd thinks to himself while climbing up the ladder to leave his bunker, 'Maybe he was so afraid that he dropped the Game Boy Horror and never went back to get it. Besides, he has the necklace I gave him, so everything should be okay! Shoot, I forgot to tell him how to activate it!'

Gadd quickly leaves the safety of his bunker and starts heading for the mansion. Little does he know, somebody is watching him every step he takes...


	7. 章 7 (Chapter 7)

彡教授战斗背彡 (The Professor Fights Back)

Gadd, equipped with his "ghost-proof" jacket, carefully opens the front door of the mansion. A burst of cold, stale air meets his face, slightly fogging up his glasses. He quietly closes the door behind him, quickly making his way through the main double doors in front of him.

"Hey, look," the same Gold Ghost from before laughs, "Looks like a baby found its way inside of our mansion!"

"For your information," Gadd interjects, "Though my stature is petite, I have lived for a very long time. And secondly, this mansion belongs to Luigi!"

"Luigi?!" The Gold Ghost exclaims, appearing in front of Gadd, "He's probably dead by now! He's so stupid, he left his vacuum on the ground and ran away!"

"You're fooling me, aren't ya?"

"It's right HERE!" The Gold Ghost pulls out the Poltergust, and to Gadd's surprise, it is still in good shape. "Man, this thing is kind of heavy..."

"What did you do to Luigi?!" Gadd screams in anger, reaching for the Poltergust.

"Too slow!" The Gold Ghost chuckles, moving away from him each time he reaches out. "Maybe if you went through puberty, you could put up a fight! Too bad you'll have to wait for several years!"

"Either you hand over the Poltergust now, or I'll take it from you with force. I wouldn't mind having a Gold Ghost to study either, so the choice is yours!"

"You lookin' for a fight?" The Gold Ghost drops the Poltergust on the ground, approaching Gadd, "A midget like you against ME? Why, you're more retarded than Luigi!"

"Then let me show you just how retarded I am!" Gadd mashes the switch on his left jacket sleeve. "This is my brilliant invention! By pressing either switch on the sleeves of this jacket, it turns on the flow of electricity throughout these hundreds of tiny light bulbs, which are capable of illuminating the darkest of places and causing temporary blindness to those who look at them!"

The Gold Ghost punches Gadd hard in his gut, sending him crashing against the front double doors.

"Hnng...!" Gadd lies on his side, curling up into a ball in pain.

"You sure do talk a lot, little man," the Gold Ghost laughs, moving closer towards Gadd, "Maybe you should test your "brilliant" inventions before you end up embarrassing yourself!"

"Ugh..." Gadd struggles up to his feet, still clutching his stomach, "If my jacket won't work, then this will...!"

Gadd pulls out a necklace similar to the one he gave Luigi, except this one was wrapped in green satin cloth.

"Really?!" The Gold Ghost screams in laughter, "Luigi had the same damn thing! Let me guess, you're gonna give it to the Purple Puncher just like him?!"

"He WHAT?!" Gadd yells in horror and disbelief, "No more wasting time with you! Let's end this once and for all!"

"LET'S!" The Gold Ghost shouts, charging towards Gadd.

Gadd quickly removes the green satin cloth, revealing a small silver box, connected to a long chain of blue beads. The Gold Ghost comes to a halt and backs away, keeping a safe distance from him.

"I haven't used this necklace in forever," Gadd smiles, dangling the tiny silver box above his head, "I'm going to give you one more chance to hand over the Poltergust."

"...F-fine, take it," the Gold Ghost mutters, floating up towards the ceiling, "I'll be back, little man... If it weren't for that necklace thing, your brain would be splattered all over this floor!"

The Gold Ghost disappears, leaving a light, airy mist behind. Moments later, Gadd puts on the necklace, still alert in case other ghosts try to ambush him.

'Good thing I didn't have to use this,' Gadd thinks to himself, feeling relieved, 'I swear to only use it to protect Luigi, even if it costs me my life...'

He picks up the Poltergust, places the straps over his shoulders and begins making his way to the main double doors, desperate to find and save Luigi.


	8. 章 8 (Chapter 8)

彡隐藏的力量彡 (Hidden Power)

"...他们都死了,"文森特 · 戈尔证实,"我的创作杀了他们." ("Zey are dead," Vincent van Gore confirms,"My creations killed zem.")

"你离开的路易吉 · 活着像我命令你到吗 ?" 国王嘘 镇静地问。 ("Did you leave Luigi alive as I ordered you to do?" King Boo calmly asks.)

"当然了, 国王嘘." ("Of course, King Boo.")

"出色的工作...现在就把他带到我。至关重要的是他活，他唯一能给我们的信息的人我们要找的。" ("Excellent work... Now bring him to me. It is crucial that he stays alive, for he's the only one who can give us the information we're looking for.")

文森特 · 范 · 戈尔 尔留下秘密法坛。分钟后，他与由绳索扯拽路易的一个蓝色军乐队领队一起回来，被栓在他的脖子上。大蓝色幽灵, 谁由一根绳子，绑在他脖子上拖动路易吉。 (Vincent van Gore leaves the Secret Altar. Minutes later, he returns along with a Blue Twirler who is dragging Luigi by a rope, tied around his neck.)

国王嘘 方法用血红色的眼睛盯着他的路易吉 ·。 "如果你想要不遭受比你更已经是，然后告诉我如何激活这条项链。" (King Boo approaches Luigi, staring him down with blood-crimson eyes, "If you wish to not suffer more than you already are, then tell me how to activate the necklace.")

"...我-我不知道," 路易吉 · 扼流圈，握住粗，衣衫褴褛在他痛脖子上的绳索。 ("...I-I don't know," Luigi chokes, gripping the rough, ragged rope around his sore neck.)

"别对我撒谎"愤怒国王吼声，那怒视着路易吉 ·,"要么你愿意告诉我会释放你，否则你会折磨直到您这样做." ("Don't lie to me," the angry King growls, glowering at Luigi, "Either you willingly tell me and I'll release you, or you'll get tortured until you do so.")

"我发誓我没有说谎!" 路易吉 · 喊，眼睛填满与温暖的眼泪，"即使你做折磨我，你不会得到不同的答案!" ("I swear I'm not lying!" Luigi shouts, eyes filling up with warm tears, "Even if you do torture me, you won't get a different answer!")

"打破他的四肢，直到他讲!" 建筑物条例执行处王笑着说坐下来在他的宝座。蓝着军乐队妄，咧嘴抢路易吉的手臂，并开始向后弯曲他的手臂。 ("Break his limbs until he speaks!" King Boo laughs, sitting back down in his throne. The Blue Twirler grins evilly, snatching Luigi's arm and begins bending his arm backwards.)

路易吉 · 尖叫响，作为他的肺部允许他，他的眼睛现在挤满了痛苦的眼泪。 (Luigi screams as loud as his lungs allow him, his eyes now overflowing with tears of agony.)

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS!" Luigi screams, thrashing about until he falls off of the bed, his forehead covered with droplets of sweat and his eyes red from excessive tears.

"My LORD, what has gotten to you?!" Gadd raises his voice in concern, picking up the ice pack which fell off of Luigi's forehead. "That had to be one horrible nightmare...!"

Luigi's eyes grow wide as he realizes what just happened before he passed out.

"Calm down, Luigi," Gadd pleads, still shaken from Luigi's sudden outburst, "I would advise you to rest for a couple of days with those injuries, boyo. Your body has been under immense stress, so don't leave the bunker until you recover."

"What?" Luigi asks in confusion, wondering how he's still alive. As he attempts to stand up, a jolt of pain shoots through his neck and left leg, causing him to scream in pain. His muscles ache and his neck throbs with every heartbeat.

"Careful, Luigi!" Gadd pleads once more, carefully helping Luigi back onto the bed. "You are VERY lucky to have survived, especially from that bite wound. For a second, I thought you weren't alive when I saw your blood all over the carpet..."

"H-how did you save me...?" Luigi quivers, curious of how Gadd was able to rescue him, completely unscathed.

"...I used the necklace, like the one I gave you, but I need to tell you something before you use it."

"I'm sorry, Gadd...! I sorta gave mine away-"

"It's alright, Luigi. Now pay close attention to everything I say." Gadd pulls out his necklace, showing Luigi the tiny silver box. "I forgot to tell you how to activate its powers of protection, so here's how it works."

Luigi pays close attention to Gadd as he begins raising the necklace.

"Hold the necklace like this," Gadd dangles the tiny silver box above head while having his eyes closed. "Now place the silver box in your palm, either one is fine, then open it by winding up the handle on the backside. After that, you chant specific words and the box will light up, creating a force field around you."

"What are the words?" Luigi asks in excitement, grinning from ear to ear.

"Right on this strip of paper!" Gadd chuckles, slipping the folded paper into the box, "Promise me you'll only open the box if it is absolutely necessary... The longer the powers are activated, the more it sucks away your energy, eventually sucking the life out of you."

"Mama mia! About how long will it take to start draining my life?!"

"It all depends on your stamina, so I wouldn't use it if you're about to roll over and die. The good thing is, if you activated the necklace but turns out that you didn't need to use it, you can always close the box."

"Sounds dangerous to me, Gadd... I'd rather use the Poltergust if I had it."

"Well, you don't have it now," Gadd smiles, handing the necklace over to Luigi, "You should put this on now before you end up dropping it again...that is, if you still want to go back after what happened before."

Luigi silently stares at the floor for a while, thinking hard about his decision.

"I'm in debt to you for saving my brother," Luigi utters with a quivering voice, trying his hardest not to get emotional, "S-so I will do anything to help you with your research... ...even if I die."

"Risking your life to help me with my research?!" Gadd exclaims in bewilderment, "I am flattered, but it's not worth that, Luigi! Your life is much more valuable!"

"But still," Luigi continues, getting under the covers, "I need to go back to teach those ghosts not to mess with me. I'm not the weak person who they think I am...! I wish I used my fireballs earlier, but fear got to me, and..."

"It's okay, Luigi," Gadd sighs, placing clean clothes on the bedside, "I would suggest you change into these before you go back. You don't want anymore of those killer ghosts following you around."

Gadd turns off the light switch and closes the door behind him, leaving Luigi to rest. Luigi begins fidgeting with the necklace around his neck, thinking how it would feel if he were to activate it.

"I wonder what the words are," Luigi thinks aloud, staring up at the ceiling. He wants to go back to the mansion very badly, regardless of what happened to him before. He seeks revenge on every single one of them, especially the Gold Ghost and the Purple Puncher. They were the reason why he had no way to defend himself, excluding his fireballs.

"Sorry, Gadd, but I'm not waiting for my injuries to heal," Luigi continues, "I know you can't hear me, but I still said it. I'm gonna sneak out when you're sleeping... ...After all, this necklace makes me invincible, so nothing should hurt me. I'll close the box when I feel weak, then I'll find a hiding place in the mansion. That's a great idea."

After Luigi convinces himself everything will work out, he lies his head down on the pillow and pulls the covers up to his chin. Tears begin trickling down the bridge of his nose, for he know that there's no going back once he starts...


	9. 章 9 (Chapter 9)

彡规划彡 (Planning)

*Inside the mansion*

A small meeting, consisting of four ghosts, is currently being held in the kitchen. The Purple Puncher (from before), the Gold Ghost (from before), a Dark Purple Basher and a Garbage Can Ghost are sitting in chairs in a circle, with a round table in the middle. They seem to be developing some sort of plan against Luigi and Gadd.

"I almost had that small bald guy," the Gold Ghost mutters to the others, "But I stopped because of that necklace... I mean, I have no idea what that thing can do, so why take chances?!"

"We have one of them," the Purple Puncher adds, holding the necklace in the air, "Though it's pretty, we have no use for this."

"We do!" the Gold Ghost interjects, "That's why I gave up that stupid vacuum! The bald guy threatened to use that stupid necklace against me if I didn't leave, so there must be something special about it!"

"I could care less about that necklace," the Dark Purple Basher mutters, clearly annoyed by the conversation, "Whether it's a threat or not, we should be talking about how to dispose of those humans."

"And how will we get rid of them if they have the vacuum?!" the Gold Ghost snaps back, "I'm sure those fools have more necklaces, so we have to use the one we have against them!"

"We don't need technology to kill them," the Dark Purple Basher frowns in annoyance, "I know where the two are hiding right now. We should kill them when they least expect it, which is before they enter the mansion."

"What, we should bust into their hiding place, most likely filled with weapons and ghost-proof armor?!"

"I didn't say that," the Dark Purple Basher grins, toying with the blood-stained dagger in his hands, "But if we were left with no choice, I would be more than happy to do so."

"Yeah, cause demented people like you enjoy carnage! You'd be the first one to volunteer to get your hands bloody!"

"I would also be the first one to get rid of a vexatious ally, if you know what I mean."

"Don't fuck with me!" the Gold Ghost hollers, slamming his fist against the table, "The only reason why we invited you is because of your ruthlessness! If it weren't for that, you would be in your own place, eating rotting carcasses and shit-"

"HEY!" the Purple Puncher interjects, now leaning over the table, "Both of you, stop cursing and get along with each other! We need the Dark Purple Basher for this mission; the worst thing you can do is throw insults back and forth!"

"The worst thing you can do is criticize my diet," the Dark Purple Basher continues, "I do not eat rotting carcasses, I kill and eat living creatures when they're still fresh, okay? Now let's say I'm famished and I happen find a dead body-"

"Ahem! Let's get back to the necklace!" the Purple Puncher loudly insists, getting impatient, "If there's a way to unlock the powers in this thing, then Luigi and that short bald guy must know how! So we shouldn't kill them, maybe...?"

"Bro, that's besides the point!" yells the Gold Ghost, glaring at the Dark Purple Basher, "You're still disgusting, no matter what you eat! I bet you eat more shit than Spooky!"

"Are you comparing me to a dog?" the Dark Purple Basher glowers, stabbing the dagger through the wooden table.

"YES I AM!" the Gold Ghost screams in anger while flipping over the table.

"Ugh, why do I even bother..." sighs the Purple Puncher, face palming.

Using this opportunity to speak, the Garbage Can Ghost floats over to the sink and bangs a silver spoon against the faucet, getting everyone's attention.

"I-I have something very important... ...to say," the Garbage Can Ghost chokes, holding the spoon in the air.

"Let us hear it!" the Purple Puncher exclaims, grinning in exhilaration.

"...Can we go to McDonald's now?"

...

Luigi lies in bed, staring up at the ceiling. He knows that couple of hours passed by, yet he still can't seem to fall asleep. 'Maybe it's a sign,' Luigi thinks to himself, 'I shouldn't be in bed right now. I should be in that mansion fighting off ghosts and helping Gadd...'

Luigi can't help but feel as if someone is watching his every move, but he doesn't think much of it since he's already paranoid about this whole ghost thing.

Two more hours pass and Luigi's body is still refusing to relax; the more he tries to stop thinking about the killer ghosts, the more excited he gets about seeking revenge. He's tired of thinking about what he could have done differently to not end up all patched up and bruised. He's tired of thinking why he ran away from those two ghosts when he had the Poltergust with him the whole time. But things are about to change, whether it's for the better or for the worse.

Will Luigi learn from his negative experiences and change his mindset, or will his pride shield his mind from the truth and eventually kill him?


	10. 章 10 (Chapter 10)

彡妥协彡 (Compromise)

"It has only been two days since you were attacked," Gadd says while scratching his head, "Why in the world would you want to go BACK?"

"Because," Luigi sighs while ruffling his hair, leaning against a table for support, "The longer we wait, the more time Vincent van Gore has to create even more vicious ghosts...! And what if they find a way to activate the necklace before we stop them?"

"That's nonsense, Luigi! They don't know the words to active it in the first place, so that possibility is out of the equation! Oh, and can I ask you something that you clearly haven't considered yet?"

"I've considered everything, Gadd. I know what I'm doing and I'm mentally prepared for it."

"Oh, yeah?" Gadd raises his eyebrow in doubt, "Then tell me how you expect to activate the necklace if you can barely stand on your own two feet without leaning against anything to keep your balance? You're not even close to full recovery, not to mention how the necklace will drain all of your energy-"

"GADD!" Luigi bellows, gritting his teeth, "I. Know. What. I'm. DOING! I'm sorry for yelling at you, but it's my body and I know how much I can take before I collapse! Now if you would please respect my decision and let me do what I think is best for me!"

"I really hate to argue, but what makes you think you know what's best? I know all of the dangers that come with the necklaces, including the one you lost, yet you, a young and inexperienced person, want to tell ME how things will play out? I'm not buying it!"

"Why do you care so much?! I'm helping you with your damn research! What more do you want from me?!"

"You're gonna get yourself KILLED, Luigi! That's why I care so much, and like I said before, your life is more valuable than my research!"

"You know what, Gadd?!" Luigi walks right in front of him and stares him down with a tempestuous glare, "It's MY mansion! I got the letter, not you! If you have a problem with my decision, THEN FUCK OFF!"

And with that, Luigi pushes past Gadd, making his way to towards ladder to leave. Gadd slowly slips into another room, never looking back as he silently closes the door. Luigi knows he will feel like shit after he calms down and thinks about the words he just said to him, but the thought of changing his mind enrages him even more. He's better off using his anger on the ghosts who really deserve it.

Luigi begins climbing up the ladder as fast as he can, ignoring the soreness in his muscles. He doesn't need the Poltergust, as long as he has the necklace with him.

A cold gust of wind whips through Luigi's hair as he emerges from the bunker, blowing his hat off from his head. A shiver goes down his spine as he quickly retrieves his hat and slowly turns his head towards the mansion.

"Something isn't right..." Luigi quivers under his breath, tightly clutching the silver box of the necklace around his neck, "Doesn't matter...! I'll prove to Gadd that I can do this without any help!"

Luigi runs as fast as he can to the mansion's front doors, kicking them wide open in replacement of using the doorknobs given. He then feels of an eerie atmosphere looming behind him, making his throat dry and his knees buckle, similar to that of the killer Purple Grabber.

Memories begin flooding his mind of the horrific scene; dark, rich crimson blood staining the carpet all over the stairs, the metallic-like stench of his blood, the excruciatingly painful, yet numb sensation throughout his throat as his vision began to fade... The anger he relied on to keep him up and moving instantly vanishes, leaving him to fight back warm, hopeless tears. He couldn't let the ghosts sense his fear, not even a whiff of it.

"Who the hell is following me?!" Luigi spins around and hollers, trying his best to keep the hatred inside his voice. Two minutes pass and there remains no response. Whether the ghosts show themselves or not, he knows they are around, especially with the atmosphere slightly thickening, a sign that a killer ghost lurks near...

"Show yourself, COWARD!" Luigi screams again, feeling empowered by the necklace around his neck. In reality, he was bluffing. He has no idea what the words are to activate it, but he thinks that threatening the ghosts may give him more time to find out.

"I see you've got yourself another necklace," the Purple Puncher smiles, appearing in the doorway. In a flash, Luigi is violently shoved down the concrete steps, his hat flying off his head and onto the steps before his eyes. He falls on his left shoulder hard and yelps in pain, but quickly breaks his fall by pushing his left leg against a step.

"WHAT THE HECK?" He coughs as he rubs his sore, aching shoulder.

The Garbage Can Ghost materializes next to the Purple Puncher, holding a bunch of bananas in his arm.

"My, my..." says the Dark Purple Basher, appearing behind Luigi, "Looks like we won't have a hard time restraining you after all, coming back to this mansion covered with bandages."

"But what about that damn necklace?!" The Gold Ghost butts in, appearing in front of Luigi, "We'll have to knock him out first, then we can kidnap h-"

"Let's make a deal!" Luigi shouts, lifting himself from off the ground. The four ghosts slowly line up next to each other, getting ready to strike in case Luigi were to make a run for it. "I-I'll tell you how to activate the necklace if you bring me to Vincent van Gore...!"

The Garbage Can Ghost's eyes fly open in bafflement.

"Dafuq?" The Gold Ghost snickers, holding in laughter. "Why the hell would you want to see the person who created us to kick the living shit out of you and your friends?"

"Very funny," Luigi snickers back in mockery, "Look, all I want to know is more about the killer ghosts he created! I'll give you something in return, okay?!"

"Nobody has ever tried to compromise with us," the Dark Purple Basher mutters, grinning evilly, "You are a very interesting human..."

"He's a stupid one too," The Gold Ghost adds.

"If you tell us how to activate the necklaces," the Purple Puncher say while holding up one, "Then we'll bring you to Vincent van Gogh."

"Vincent van GORE!" The Gold Ghost yells, crossing his arms in annoyance, "How do you not know your own creator's name?!"

"Nobody likes him anyway, so why should I? Besides, he's too busy wishing death upon anyone who enters his studio, as well as making those grotesque killer ghosts." She silenty gestures towards the Dark Purple Basher. "Like that."

"ExCUSE me?" The Dark Purple Basher snarls, "I am not grotesque in ANY way. As a matter of fact, the killer ghosts look like any ordinary one, except we enjoy killing more than them."

"It doesn't change the fact that you're disgusting in every way!" The Gold Ghost chimes in, speaking with a rather pert tone, "Shut up and help us finish our damn mission! I'll reward you with road kill and maggot-filled carcasses afterwards!"

Not amused at his humor, The Dark Purple Basher loudly grunts with disapproval, turning his attention back to Luigi. "What do you say, foolish mortal...? Will you accept our deal?"

"Um, MY deal," the Purple Puncher supplies, crossing her arms, "I want to know what these necklaces can really do, but I'm sure about you."

"Please," Luigi pleads. his anger completely gone, "D-don't kill me, please...! I just want to help a friend out with his research...!"

Seventeen seconds of silence float in the air as the ghosts stare at each other, exchanging nods now and then, deciding whether they should consider his pleas or turn them down.

"We've came to a decision," the Purple Puncher concludes with satisfaction in her expression, "You'll go out of your way to tell us how to activate the necklaces, and we'll go out of our way to bring you to Vincent van Gogh."

"Gore, dammit!" The Gold Ghost repeats again in a sour tone.

Luigi knows this choice can be in his favor, or it can backfire just like it did in his nightmare. Either way, he has no idea what the words are, yet the ghosts are taking his word that he'll tell them. If there was some kind of way he could see Gore without keeping his side of the deal...

"Don't you even think about getting out of this," the Purple Puncher warns, "And even if you try to run from us, we will find you."

"Okay," the Garbage Can Ghost interrupts, "Can we go to McDonalds after this? I mean... I've been waiting so long, and... ...Can we please go after?"

"Fine, whatever," The Purple Puncher sighs, "But I'm not paying for it, you hear me? Go steal some money from Neville or something."

"...We should get going," the Dark Purple Basher insists, "Let's give this human what he wants and we'll get what we want."

The Gold Ghost grabs Luigi's left arm and the Purple Puncher grabs his right, dragging him through the front doors of the mansion. Luigi struggles to show no resistance as he is pulled through the main double doors, involuntary shivers going throughout his body. Now that he's inside the mansion, it's too late to go back for anything; the worst thing he can do is let those hurtful words be the last thing Gadd hears from him before he disappears and never returns, shut off from the outside world, never to be seen again. Of course, he wouldn't allow that to happen, now would he...?


	11. 章 11 (Chapter 11)

彡妥协彡 (Compromise)

"It has only been two days since you were attacked," Gadd says while scratching his head, "Why in the world would you want to go BACK?"

"Because," Luigi sighs while ruffling his hair, leaning against a table for support, "The longer we wait, the more time Vincent van Gore has to create even more vicious ghosts...! And what if they find a way to activate the necklace before we stop them?"

"That's nonsense, Luigi! They don't know the words to active it in the first place, so that possibility is out of the equation! Oh, and can I ask you something that you clearly haven't considered yet?"

"I've considered everything, Gadd. I know what I'm doing and I'm mentally prepared for it."

"Oh, yeah?" Gadd raises his eyebrow in doubt, "Then tell me how you expect to activate the necklace if you can barely stand on your own two feet without leaning against anything to keep your balance? You're not even close to full recovery, not to mention how the necklace will drain all of your energy-"

"GADD!" Luigi bellows, gritting his teeth, "I. Know. What. I'm. DOING! I'm sorry for yelling at you, but it's my body and I know how much I can take before I collapse! Now if you would please respect my decision and let me do what I think is best for me!"

"I really hate to argue, but what makes you think you know what's best? I know all of the dangers that come with the necklaces, including the one you lost, yet you, a young and inexperienced person, want to tell ME how things will play out? I'm not buying it!"

"Why do you care so much?! I'm helping you with your damn research! What more do you want from me?!"

"You're gonna get yourself KILLED, Luigi! That's why I care so much, and like I said before, your life is more valuable than my research!"

"You know what, Gadd?!" Luigi walks right in front of him and stares him down with a tempestuous glare, "It's MY mansion! I got the letter, not you! If you have a problem with my decision, THEN FUCK OFF!"

And with that, Luigi pushes past Gadd, making his way to towards ladder to leave. Gadd slowly slips into another room, never looking back as he silently closes the door. Luigi knows he will feel like shit after he calms down and thinks about the words he just said to him, but the thought of changing his mind enrages him even more. He's better off using his anger on the ghosts who really deserve it.

Luigi begins climbing up the ladder as fast as he can, ignoring the soreness in his muscles. He doesn't need the Poltergust, as long as he has the necklace with him.

A cold gust of wind whips through Luigi's hair as he emerges from the bunker, blowing his hat off from his head. A shiver goes down his spine as he quickly retrieves his hat and slowly turns his head towards the mansion.

"Something isn't right..." Luigi quivers under his breath, tightly clutching the silver box of the necklace around his neck, "Doesn't matter...! I'll prove to Gadd that I can do this without any help!"

Luigi runs as fast as he can to the mansion's front doors, kicking them wide open in replacement of using the doorknobs given. He then feels of an eerie atmosphere looming behind him, making his throat dry and his knees buckle, similar to that of the killer Purple Grabber.

Memories begin flooding his mind of the horrific scene; dark, rich crimson blood staining the carpet all over the stairs, the metallic-like stench of his blood, the excruciatingly painful, yet numb sensation throughout his throat as his vision began to fade... The anger he relied on to keep him up and moving instantly vanishes, leaving him to fight back warm, hopeless tears. He couldn't let the ghosts sense his fear, not even a whiff of it.

"Who the hell is following me?!" Luigi spins around and hollers, trying his best to keep the hatred inside his voice. Two minutes pass and there remains no response. Whether the ghosts show themselves or not, he knows they are around, especially with the atmosphere slightly thickening, a sign that a killer ghost lurks near...

"Show yourself, COWARD!" Luigi screams again, feeling empowered by the necklace around his neck. In reality, he was bluffing. He has no idea what the words are to activate it, but he thinks that threatening the ghosts may give him more time to find out.

"I see you've got yourself another necklace," the Purple Puncher smiles, appearing in the doorway. In a flash, Luigi is violently shoved down the concrete steps, his hat flying off his head and onto the steps before his eyes. He falls on his left shoulder hard and yelps in pain, but quickly breaks his fall by pushing his left leg against a step.

"WHAT THE HECK?" He coughs as he rubs his sore, aching shoulder.

The Garbage Can Ghost materializes next to the Purple Puncher, holding a bunch of bananas in his arm.

"My, my..." says the Dark Purple Basher, appearing behind Luigi, "Looks like we won't have a hard time restraining you after all, coming back to this mansion covered with bandages."

"But what about that damn necklace?!" The Gold Ghost butts in, appearing in front of Luigi, "We'll have to knock him out first, then we can kidnap h-"

"Let's make a deal!" Luigi shouts, lifting himself from off the ground. The four ghosts slowly line up next to each other, getting ready to strike in case Luigi were to make a run for it. "I-I'll tell you how to activate the necklace if you bring me to Vincent van Gore...!"

The Garbage Can Ghost's eyes fly open in bafflement.

"Dafuq?" The Gold Ghost snickers, holding in laughter. "Why the hell would you want to see the person who created us to kick the living shit out of you and your friends?"

"Very funny," Luigi snickers back in mockery, "Look, all I want to know is more about the killer ghosts he created! I'll give you something in return, okay?!"

"Nobody has ever tried to compromise with us," the Dark Purple Basher mutters, grinning evilly, "You are a very interesting human..."

"He's a stupid one too," The Gold Ghost adds.

"If you tell us how to activate the necklaces," the Purple Puncher say while holding up one, "Then we'll bring you to Vincent van Gogh."

"Vincent van GORE!" The Gold Ghost yells, crossing his arms in annoyance, "How do you not know your own creator's name?!"

"Nobody likes him anyway, so why should I? Besides, he's too busy wishing death upon anyone who enters his studio, as well as making those grotesque killer ghosts." She silenty gestures towards the Dark Purple Basher. "Like that."

"ExCUSE me?" The Dark Purple Basher snarls, "I am not grotesque in ANY way. As a matter of fact, the killer ghosts look like any ordinary one, except we enjoy killing more than them."

"It doesn't change the fact that you're disgusting in every way!" The Gold Ghost chimes in, speaking with a rather pert tone, "Shut up and help us finish our damn mission! I'll reward you with road kill and maggot-filled carcasses afterwards!"

Not amused at his humor, The Dark Purple Basher loudly grunts with disapproval, turning his attention back to Luigi. "What do you say, foolish mortal...? Will you accept our deal?"

"Um, MY deal," the Purple Puncher supplies, crossing her arms, "I want to know what these necklaces can really do, but I'm sure about you."

"Please," Luigi pleads. his anger completely gone, "D-don't kill me, please...! I just want to help a friend out with his research...!"

Seventeen seconds of silence float in the air as the ghosts stare at each other, exchanging nods now and then, deciding whether they should consider his pleas or turn them down.

"We've came to a decision," the Purple Puncher concludes with satisfaction in her expression, "You'll go out of your way to tell us how to activate the necklaces, and we'll go out of our way to bring you to Vincent van Gogh."

"Gore, dammit!" The Gold Ghost repeats again in a sour tone.

Luigi knows this choice can be in his favor, or it can backfire just like it did in his nightmare. Either way, he has no idea what the words are, yet the ghosts are taking his word that he'll tell them. If there was some kind of way he could see Gore without keeping his side of the deal...

"Don't you even think about getting out of this," the Purple Puncher warns, "And even if you try to run from us, we will find you."

"Okay," the Garbage Can Ghost interrupts, "Can we go to McDonalds after this? I mean... I've been waiting so long, and... ...Can we please go after?"

"Fine, whatever," The Purple Puncher sighs, "But I'm not paying for it, you hear me? Go steal some money from Neville or something."

"...We should get going," the Dark Purple Basher insists, "Let's give this human what he wants and we'll get what we want."

The Gold Ghost grabs Luigi's left arm and the Purple Puncher grabs his right, dragging him through the front doors of the mansion. Luigi struggles to show no resistance as he is pulled through the main double doors, involuntary shivers going throughout his body. Now that he's inside the mansion, it's too late to go back for anything; the worst thing he can do is let those hurtful words be the last thing Gadd hears from him before he disappears and never returns, shut off from the outside world, never to be seen again. Of course, he wouldn't allow that to happen, now would he...?


	12. 章 12 (Chapter 12)

彡停止正在英雄彡 (Stop Being the Hero!)

"Where is Luigi?!" The Purple Puncher slams her fists against the railing of the balcony, "We've been out here for five million hours!"

"He told me he had to use the bathroom," the Gold Ghost says in uncertainty, "Probably an excuse for us to leave him so he could escape or something."

"He wouldn't run away, not after he came this far! He wanted to see Gogh, so we'll bring him there!"

"It's GORE! And what makes you think he would ditch that baby man anyway?! That old coop even saved his damn brother!"

"He can ditch us after he sees Gogh and tells us how to activate the necklace! That was the deal, was it not?!"

"Whatever," the Gold Ghost sighs loudly, plopping down on one of the benches. He continues staring at the cement floor until the first door creaks open.

"Let's a go," Luigi mumbles, standing in front of the door.

"It's about time you got off of that damn toilet," the Gold Ghost sneers, crossing his arms, "Unless of course, you freaking lied."

"I went to the bathroom!" Luigi raises his voice, swiftly opening the door and re-entering the dark hallway.

The Gold Ghost and the Purple Puncher follow behind Luigi as they (very slowly) make their way to Vincent van Gore's studio.

...

(Inside Gadd's lab)

"He wouldn't listen to me," Gadd whines, typing on the computer while holding a phone between his ear and shoulder, "That's why I need you to stop him..."

(At Mushroom Kingdom)

Mario sighs heavily, trying his hardest to keep his composure as he slowly walks to the balcony, holding the phone up to his ear as he stares out from the top of Peach's Castle. "Please tell me he has the vacuum," he says, keeping his voice calm.

"Look, Mario, I've tried my hardest to help the man, but he continued to defy me! He didn't enter the mansion with the Poltergust because he already has that necklace I mentioned earlier!"

"Fuck...!" Mario stomps his right foot down, closing his eyes in irritation, "You know damn well that I would never go back to that place...!"

"Mario, both necklaces are missing and my inventions aren't nearly complete! The Poltergust may work to an extent, but it's no use against those killer ghosts, I'm telling you! Your fireballs will definitely come in handy!"

"Then Luigi will be just fine, since he can use his fireballs. He also knows more about those ghosts than I do. Just check on him with that Game Boy thingy."

"I can't, Mario! If I could do all of these things and Luigi was fine on his own, I wouldn't be calling you right now! I found him lying in a pool of his own blood! If it weren't for me-"

"I know what Luigi is capable of doing!" Mario shouts defensively, "You're underestimating him, Professor Gadd! He can do this! He won't die, don't even think about it!"

"Mario, please...! I really need you for this."

"I'll come down there, alrighty? But in the meantime, think positive thoughts and continue working on your inventions."

"T-thank you, Mario," Gadd stammers, quickly hanging up and staring into the computer screen. It is impossible for him not to think those things. His attitude towards things changed for the worse, but Gadd has yet figured out the particular cause...

"Please hurry," Gadd mumbles to himself as he frantically mashes the buttons of the keyboard.

...

(Inside the Artist's Studio).

"So he wasn't kidding after all," the Green Shy Guy Ghost shakes his head, staring at the floor, "Everyone except him knows better than to try to reason with THIS guy," he points his spear in the direction of Vincent van Gore, who is glaring at an empty canvas, paintbrush in hand.

"He's not that crazy," the Garbage Can Ghost corrects, fidgeting with an empty banana peel.

"He calls his own creations monstrosities, including you! Just because he created us doesn't mean we bow down and worship him, you got that? If he's rude towards me, I'll be the same way towards him, and so should you!"

"But-"

"Listen, you piece of shit!" Gore yells, spinning around to face the Green Shy Guy Ghost, "I put you een zis vorld, and I can zchust as easily take you OUT! You are nozing but trash! Rotting garbage zat has yet to be zrown out!"

"I'm not the one painting rotting garbage every second of my life," the Green Shy Guy Ghost back-talks, "Like, are you kidding me? A freaking GARBAGE CAN GHOST! What were you expecting?"

Having no other comeback, Gore harshly sucks in air through closed teeth in frustration and continues to glower at the empty canvas.

"I don't like mean people," the Garbage Can Ghost murmurs.

"Zen get zee hell out!" Gore screams, pointing his paintbrush to the door, "You are more vorthless zan zee real zing!"

"You just watch," the Garbage Can Ghost whimpers, narrowing his eyes at Gore, "I don't need you to tell me how much I'm worth... I'm gonna run far away from this place and never come back! You'll see! I'll show all of you that I can survive on my own!"

As the Garbage Can Ghost approaches the door to leave, it suddenly flies wide open, making him jump back in fear. The Purple Puncher flings Luigi into the room with the Gold Ghost behind her as they enter Gore's studio.

"VHAT EEZ ZIS?!" Gore wrinkles his nose, staring at Luigi in utter disgust, "You damn ghosts have enough nerve to come back to my studio already, and now you bring ZIS disgusting creature here?! I vill not allow zis to continue over and over again!"

"Listen up, Gogh," the Purple Puncher demands, moving towards the center of the room and facing him, "I'm not about to listen to you bitch on how much you hate us and Luigi, okay? We have very important things to discuss."

"How DARE you not address me by my name?!" Gore seethes, punching a hole through the empty canvas, "After all zee trouble I vent zrough to create you good-for-nozing beasts, and you still don't zank me for giving you 'life'! Instead, you treat me like a subordinate and spew curse vords from your contaminated mouzs-"

"ENOUGH!" Luigi shouts, silencing everybody in the room, "I am not here to fight or anything...! If you would please let me speak for now!"

Gore turns to face him, glaring at him with a stern face. "Say vhatever you vish," he sneers, "Because zis vill be zee last time you ever speak again!"

"No it won't," Luigi forces himself to speak gently while clenching his fists, "I-I know you hate me, but I... ...I don't hate any of you ghosts anymore, and I want to change things between us. I know this sounds so retarded, but... why can't we all just get along with each other? What is is about kindness that enrages you all? I'm willing to change my ways to get along with every single one of you, and you all can do the same."

"What?" The Green Shy Guy Ghost demands, "I'm not sure if you realize how stupid you sound right now-"

"But he's nice!" The Garbage Can Ghost barges in, floating next to Luigi, "I won't mind being friends with him at all...!"

"Do you really zink zat I am a fool?" Gore asks in a high-pitched voice, nearly chuckling at Luigi's words, "Only zee lowest of zee low vould even consider your plea! For many years I have been isolated from everybody and enjoyed doing vhat I do best! All you ever care about eez helping zat friend of yours capture eennocent ghosts and keep zem captive for some stupid research! My creations vere not meant to be subjects to study!"

The fear that once filled Luigi's mind suddenly vanishes, being replaced by a pleasant and heart-lifting sensation, urging him to speak from his heart, letting every doubt he previously had disappear. He slowly relaxes his shoulders and raises his head to look Gore in the eyes, smiling involuntarily as he opens his mouth to speak.

"I apologize for our inconsideration of you and your creations," Luigi speaks gently, "But it would be an honor if you personally give us more information on your new creations. I promise that Gadd and I will never lay a finger on any ghost to hurt them."

Gore continues to stare at Luigi in silence.

"I know my words most likely won't change your mind," Luigi continues, fidgeting with his fingers, "But I-"

"What did you do with the necklace?" The Purple Puncher quickly cuts him off, approaching him, "Well? Where the hell is it?!"

"Oh!" Luigi exclaims, nervously scratching his head, "I must have left it at the sink in the bathroom! I'll g-go get it...!"

"Then GO!" The Purple Puncher snaps, shoving Luigi out of the studio, "You'd better be back in less than 10 minutes, plumber boy!"

Luigi stumbles across the hallway, regaining his balance as he leans against the wall. 'Damn it,' he thinks to himself while opening the door leading to the balcony, 'Where the hell did that killer Grabbing Ghost go?! He said he would give the necklace to Gore, but he wasn't even in the studio!'

Luigi walks up to the balcony's edge, staring up into the dark, misty sky. "Dammit, why?!" He yells into the sky, watching his warm breath vaporize into the chilly air.

"I know you didn't lose the necklace," the Dark Purple Basher grins, staring out in the distance next to Luigi.

"Y-you know nothing!" Luigi shouts, moving away from him, "And I'm tired of you eavesdropping on me !"

"Well, excuse me for hearing you scream at the sky. And I know what you did with the necklace."

"Oh yeah?" Luigi replies curtly, "Then tell me exactly what I did, since you're so smart and all!"

"I never said I was smart," the Dark Purple Basher speaks, "But I know you gave the necklace to that killer Purple Grabber."

"How the hell do you know?! You weren't there when... ...How the hell do you know all of this? Are you psychic?"

The Dark Purple Basher turns toward him and smiles.

"No," he replies, "You had the necklace with you before you 'used the bathroom', and now that you're out, you no longer have it. Besides, I smell his scent all over you. ...That sounded so wrong..."

"It's too late," Luigi loudly sighs, sitting down on the cold concrete and pressing his face into his knees. "I just want to see my bro one more time," he continues with a muffled voice, "Oh, he's gonna hate me for this... I chose you stupid ghosts over everyone I love... I'm so fucking reTARded!"

"Luigi," the Dark Purple Basher speaks blandly, "I remember your brother. It's ironic how he was unable to escape from that portrait, yet he has beaten Bowser and other-"

"Shut up!" Luigi screams, slamming his dirt-stained gloves over his ears, "He's gotten stronger since then anyway! No matter how hard I try to be friendly with you ghosts, you idiots continue to drive me crazy! I came here for Gadd to get more information on you goddamn ghosts, and somehow I was forced into this shit! What do you assholes want with me!? I don't have the necklace anymore and I didn't get my information about the killer ghosts, SO THE DEAL IS OFF!"

"That's too bad," the Dark Purple Basher slightly frowns, "You can tell the others that, but I guarantee you it won't be that simple. You should tell them what you did with the necklace."

He watches Luigi as he jumps up to his feet and begins leaning over the balcony.

"Suicide won't get you anywhere, boy."

After a few seconds of struggling, Luigi manages to sit and balance on top of the railing, swinging both of his legs over it and letting them dangle in the cold air.

"You're really going to do it, aren't you...?" The Dark Purple Basher inquires, "You're going to kill yourself."

"I can't die," Luigi's blurts out, "In return for the necklace, that killer Purple Grabber made a promise that he wouldn't allow me to die or get hurt! Let's see if he's telling the truth!"

"Foolish boy," the Dark Purple Basher shakes his head, "You don't get me and you definitely don't get him. You don't get anything, do you? I knew you would get yourself into trouble when I first saw you."

"And you let it happen anyway! That was your ultimate goal, wasn't it?"

"Actually, no it wasn't. Seeing that you have a strong hatred for us ghosts, anything I would have said wouldn't matter to you anyway..."

"I don't need you telling ME what would have mattered! Why won't you go away and tell the others that the deal's off?! It's not like they'll be able to hurt me anyway!"

"You are very gullible and full of pride," the Dark Purple Basher declares before disappearing through the door.

Luigi squeezes his eyes shut and begins contemplating on the consequences behind his reckless actions. 'I'm sorry, Gadd,' he thinks to himself, 'I'm sorry, Mario... I'm sorry, Peach and Daisy and Yoshi and Toadsworth and whoever else I forgot to mention... I'm so freaking retarded...! Why didn't I decline the offer to go here when I had the chance?! Why am I so-'

"LUIGI!" A petrified, yet unmistakable voice hollers his name, breaking his chain of thought and making Luigi look back in the direction from where it came. Warm tears of sorrow trickle down his flushed cheeks as he quickly turns his head back around, forcing himself to stare upon his dangling feet.

"Luigi!" The voice repeats, this time with a hint of anger, "What's all this about? Look at me and talk, Luigi!"

Luigi continues to stare at his feet in defiance as he listens to Gadd scream his name multiple times. In a flash, Luigi turns around and balances himself on top of the railing while standing, spreading his arms out as if he were soaring in the sky.

"Take one more step closer and I'll throw myself off this balcony!" Luigi screams with a threatening voice, glaring down at Gadd who stops moving towards him, gazing at him with a dejected expression.

"Luigi, what has gotten into you?!" Gadd quivers, wrapping his arms around himself in fear, "I-I'm only trying to help you, boyo! I gave you a chance to come back here or not, and you accepted the challenge...! Please don't feel as if you have to do this, Luigi! How would Mario feel about this?!"

"Mario isn't here!" Luigi snaps back, "And even if he was... he'd just be another reason to end my life! If you were in my situation, you'd do the same thing!"

"I would NOT!" Gadd wails, trying hard to keep his voice at an even pitch, "Luigi, tell me what has gotten into you! Even better, tell me what you have gotten yourself into, because this isn't the Luigi I know...!"

"You never knew me," Luigi utters disdainfully, a smirk forming across his face, "You never will. And more importantly, I'm curious to how you were able to make it all the way up here without getting yourself ki-"

Out of nowhere, two strong hands furiously shove Luigi's backside, causing his head and arms to flop backward as his is propelled into the hard concrete of the balcony floor. He lets out an agonizing yelp as his right elbow grinds against the cold floor, ripping through the sleeve and scraping through his skin.

"It was because of me," A stout voice speaks from behind Luigi, making his heart skip a beat. There was no mistaking that voice. It was Mario, hands down. Hearing his voice sends more tears to Luigi's eyes once again as he continues to lie down against the concrete, clutching his pained elbow. He stares at Mario's shadow standing behind him; the shadow's arms were crossed in a disproving manner and there was a billowing cape behind it in the thin, cold air.

The atmosphere turns thicker shortly after, along with a bone-chilling sensation that sends an involuntary shiver through the humans. Luigi's eyes grow alarmingly wide as he watches the killer Purple Grabber materialize right behind Mario in terror.

"MARIO, BEHIND YOU!" Gadd bellows while he quickly whips out the nozzle of his Poltergust 3000, running towards the killer Purple Grabber. Mario spins around on his heels and automatically shifts his body into a fighting stance, glaring into the killer Purple Grabber's eyes.

"I got this, Gadd!" Mario shouts, his fists exploding into hot flames. The killer Purple Grabber hisses, then quickly recoils from the radiating heat.

"GUYS, STOP!" Luigi cries out raucously, stumbling over his legs as he rushes to stand on his two feet, "DON'T YOU DARE HURT MY FRIEND!"

"Friend?!" Gadd squawks in disbelief, whipping his head towards the killer Purple Grabber and back at Luigi, "Sorry to burst you bubble, Luigi, but these KILLER ghosts don't give two flying shits about you! They're not looking for friendship, they're looking to kill and destroy!"

"Is that so?" Luigi retorts, "Then you have no business coming here researching them if you already know their motives! I think you brought me here just so I can suffer and get killed by them, didn't you? I bet the necklaces were a bunch of shit too!"

Mario extinguishes the flames from his fists, standing dangerously close to the killer Purple Grabber.

"I'm giving you ONE chance to redeem yourself," Mario grumbles with a grimace, "Is Luigi truly your friend, and are you truly a friend to him?"

The killer Purple Grabber slowly grins.

"Yes."

"Oh, really?" Mario asks in a disgusted tone, "Then tell me what you have done for him."

"I promised him something," the killer Purple Grabber growls.

"I don't have time for your games, ghost!" Mario raises his voice in annoyance, now turning his attention to Luigi, "Tell me, Luigi, what did he promise you?"

Swallowing hard, Luigi looks Mario in the eyes, debating on whether the answer will bring out a negative response from him. "Well," he stammers, "He pr-"

"I promised that I would protect him from death or harm," the killer Purple Grabber speaks in a threatening tone, "You're mighty lucky I didn't rip you in half and tear out your insides when you shoved him from off the balcony. Trust me, I was filled with exccccitement when I heard him... ...scream... ...in pAiN..."

"Criminy!" Gadd cries.

"Listen, you ghoST," Mario snaps, "I am seconds away from melting your hideous face off! If it weren't for Luigi defending you, YOU'D be the one screaming in pain while you burned into-I dunno, ashes! Secondly, you failed to do what you promised, meaning you AREN'T a friend! Tell me, what are you trying to get out of him?!"

"Stop it, Mario," Luigi demands, pushing him away from the ghost, "He's not hurting me in any way. I'm tired of you jumping into other people's problems, trying to make everything better when, in reality, you're not! Stop trying to be the hero all the damn time and fix your own problems! I have a right to befriend a killer ghost if I choose, okay?!"

"I am a cUtE, hArMLeSs Grabbing Ghost," the killer Purple Grabber sneers, "I are Weegee's bEsTeSt fWeNd..."

Mario glares at the killer Purple Grabber in anger as the ghost puts on a show, urging Luigi to hold and cuddle him like he's some kind of a stuffed toy.

"I'm not buying it," Mario whispers to Gadd as he slowly makes his way towards the door. Gadd lowers his head and follows him as they both disappear behind the closing door, leaving Luigi and the killer Purple Grabber behind.

As soon as the door closes, Luigi struggles out from the killer Purple Grabber's arms, staring at him with narrowed eyes.

"You've already lost some of your credibility," Luigi declares, slowly stepping away from the ghost, "Even though it wasn't serious, I still got hurt...!"

"You're taking me for granted," the killer Purple Grabber growls, keeping low to the ground as he inches towards him, "Me protecting you doesn't mean you are free to throw yourself off of a damn balcony. What next, you'll attempt to stab yourself with a knife to see if I stop you then? Everything you said was an insult. I am not your freaking slave."

"I'm sorry...!" Luigi says immediately, holding his hands out in front of him, "I won't do it again...! A-and where's the n-necklace I gave you...? G-Gore didn't look like he had it..."

"I don't know."

"What?!" Luigi panics, tousling his hair in anxiety, "Why not? You said that you would give it to Gore! Why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't. It will still be given to Gore, but you will be the one who gives it to him."

"WHY ME?!"

"You want to befriend him, do you not?"

Luigi slowly nods his head, staring at the ground with a hopeless face.

"Thissssss..." the killer Purple Grabber says while placing the necklace in Luigi's palm, "...Is where you start."

Luigi heavily sighs in relief, beaming as he securely places the necklace back inside his pocket. He glances back at the killer Purple Grabber before he makes his way towards the door that will eventually lead to Gore's studio. Regardless of his plan, many doubts continue to wander about through his head... Will Gore accept Luigi's friendship? Will Mario and Gadd forgive him and join him in his quest, or will all of his efforts backfire and tear his world into pieces...?


	13. 章 13 (Chapter 13)

彡无知是福彡 (Ignorance is Bliss)

Without hesitation, Luigi enters the dark hallway with his destination to the left. His breathing begins to quicken, soon returning to normal as he is accompanied by the killer Purple Grabber, his so-called "friend".

"I took too long to return," Luigi quivers, clutching the right strap of his overalls.

With a mischievous grin, the killer Purple Grabber snags Luigi by his arm. "I will make an excuse to save your sorry butt. You'd better go along with whatever I have in mind or else things won't go so well for the both of us..."

"What!?"

The killer Purple Grabber suddenly throws himself against Luigi's side, sending him crashing into the door of the studio. Baffled, Luigi forcefully shoves him away but is unsuccessful; the ghost clings to the straps of his overalls, dragging him down to the ground.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" a muffled voice shouts from behind the door. Someone was going to open the door any second now.

"What the heck, man?!" Luigi sharply whispers, struggling to lift the killer Purple Grabber from off the floor, "if this is your cunning plan, leave me out of i-"

Immediately the door busts wide open, barely missing his backs by a few inches. The Purple Puncher glances down at the two, her eyes narrowing as she watches the killer Purple Grabber weakly holding onto Luigi's chest.

"P-please be all right...!" Luigi whines with fake concern, forcing himself to tightly embrace the killer Purple Grabber, using one hand to pet his head.

"H-hhhhelp meee," the killer Purple Grabber distressingly groans, shivering in his arms.

"What the hell, Luigi?!" the Purple Puncher raises her voice in confusion, "who the hell is that? Where the hell is the necklace? Why do I keep saying hell in every sentence?! ..No, really, where is it."

"I-it's in my p-pocket... what are you going to use it for again?"

"Oh, you know. King Blue is still crazy about getting revenge on you and your friends, and somehow he found out about the necklaces, so."

"KING BOO!?"

In a flash, the killer Purple Grabber hisses loudly as he digs his claws into Luigi's pocket, ripping it apart as he retrieves the necklace, squeezing it inside of his fist. "No! No, no, nooOOO! This necklace belongs to wEeGeE!"

What in the world? Luigi thought it was for Vincent van Gore.

He quickly jumps back in terror as the Dark Purple Basher, the Garbage Can Ghost and the Gold Ghost exit the studio and enter the scene. "ALL OF YOU GUYS LIED TO ME! YOU WANT ME KILLED!"

"What is that chump screaming about now?" the Gold Ghost grumbles, crossing his arms.

"I told him the truth!" the Purple Puncher yells in a defensive manner, "I don't like King Blue either, Luigi, but it we don't have a choice! We can't go against the king! I don't know how he found out!"

"King Boo?" the Dark Purple Basher asks, "You never told me we were giving it to him. ...I sense some real drama about to happen very soon."

Luigi begins cowering next to the killer Purple Grabber. "We're not letting you OR King Boo have the necklace! You'll have to kill us for it!"

"Bro, just hand it over!" the Gold Ghost approaches Luigi, flinching back as the killer Purple Grabber lashes out at him.

"...Touch him and I'll kiLL yOu!" he snarls, keeping low to the floor.

The Dark Purple Basher backs away toward the Safari Room, keeping his distance as he watches in excitement.

Keeping his composure, Luigi relaxes his shoulders and looks up. "You guys don't have to listen to that fat Boo with a crown...! I beat him before, and I have no problem doing that a second time! I don't get why my buddy wants to give the necklace to me, maybe he has his own reasons, but I can't go back! I've made it clear to Mario and Gadd that I'm not coming back to them... this mansion is my home and I will be responsible for whatever happens inside of it. I ditched my family because I believed that there was a way to peacefully coexist with you ghosts. If it weren't for King Boo ordering y'all around, your 'lives' wouldn't be so... miserable!"

The Garbage Can Ghost slowly nods in agreement.

"I get your point," the Purple Puncher speaks, "but you CANNOT take him on your own. That Boofoloosus guy is his henchman. You'll never get past him. He has gotten stronger over time, waaay stronger. Now give me the necklace, talk to Gogh, then get out. You don't belong here!"

"The necklace belongs to Weegee," the killer Purple Grabber warns, "you can't hAvE iT."

"And I guess Weegee isn't seeing Gogh! Are you really going to make his efforts meaningless? I mean, seriously! I didn't go through all of this trouble just to be denied the necklace! Don't you realize how hard it was to convince Gore not to send his ghosts to slaughter you as soon as you've shown your stupid face?!"

"Here we go with the bitching," the Gold Ghost mutters under his breath, looking up in case the Purple Puncher heard him.

A small click sounds from the doorknob as everyone in the hallway turns their attention to the door silently creaking open. There floated Vincent van Gore, his expression looking rather forced, as if hiding the burning rage inside of him. "I don't need your stupid zchewelry, but zee idea regarding zee defeat of King Boo intrigues me. How in zee vorld vould you do eet?"

Luigi's eyes widen, realizing that this could be a chance to get on Gore's good side. "I couldn't do it without help. And this 'stupid jewelry' is actually a powerful necklace that, while activated, protects you from ANYONE or ANYTHING. I want to give it to you-"

"No," the killer Purple Grabber Grabber snarls, "he doesn't deserve it! It's yours to keep, Weegee!"

"And if it's mine, then I have a right to hand it over to him! Are you trying to ruin this opportunity?!"

"He can't have it!"

"Then tell me this! Why did you claim that you wanted to give it to him while I was in the bathroom?!"

"FUCK! HIM!"

Gore turns his attention to the killer Grabber, his face twitching and contorting in utter annoyance as he stares him down. "I VOULD LIKE TO SPEAK VITH LUIGI AND ZIS ABOMINATION EEN PRIVATE!"

"Seriously?" the Gold Ghost whines, "we were just getting to the good part too."

Luigi and his "friend" follow Gore outside to the balcony before he stops moving and turns around to face the two of them.

"Let's speak een zee Breaker Room vhere no one vill hear our conversation."

...

"Okay, Mario," Gadd whispers while pointing a flashlight over a crumpled map, "this room is, by far, the safest of them all. If we want to save Luigi from those fiends, we have to think of a deliberate plan."

"Any ideas how?" Mario inquires, leaning against the old, dusty barrels stacked along the stone wall, "and this room doesn't seem so safe. I think I smell gasoline coming from those oil drums."

"Don't mind those, sonny! Let's focus on the real problem here, which is saving him from being killed! I suggest separating him from that Grabber first!"

"This is purely hypothetical, but... what if that ghost really is Luigi's friend? Even Luigi is saying that."

"Mario, that ghost is EVIL! Now I haven't been able to study the newly created ghosts, but I assure you, they have no other intentions but to kill! I wouldn't be as alarmed if he found an ordinary Grabbing Ghost, but the one with him is too dangerous!"

"Hmm..." Mario closely studies the crumpled map of the mansion. "If I'm correct, we are on the bottom floor, specifically the Breaker Room?"

"Correct."

"Then why don't we just flip the switch and turn on the electricity?"

Gadd sighs while pointing the flashlight towards the generator. "Because some rascal tore the switch from that slot! Looks like they're catching onto us...! That's a bad thing! They're getting SMART, Mario! We can't-"

Their conversation is interrupted as a door abruptly opens above them, followed by clumsy and rapid footsteps.

"Hide...!" Gadd whispers loudly, frantically putting up the map.

Both Mario and Gadd quickly drop to the ground and roll under the wooden table, pulling the off-white, tattered cloth down until it barely reaches the stone tiles. The door opens as soon as Gadd turns off his flashlight.

"So what are we g-going to talk about...?" Luigi gulps, leaning against the wooden table. Mario squeezes his eyes shut, praying that the table wouldn't give out and collapse.

"Let's get real here," Gore states while crossing his arms, "Zat necklace eez capable of protecting a person HOW?"

"W-well, you open the box... ...a-and-No, you raise the necklace to your eyebrows..."

_I can't BELIEVE this!_ Gadd screams inside of his head, _He's actually speaking with Vincent van Gore?!_

"You can't activate it without knowing the words," the killer Purple Grabber chimes in, "and I'm not telling you what they are."

"Bullshit!" Gore screams, "You can't fool me eento believing zis crap! You talk about getting along and sacrificing everyone you love, yet you bring ZIS to zee table?! You might as vell be vorking for zat old coop, setting me and my creations eento a trap!"

"I'm not lying!" Luigi defends himself, walking towards Gore, "The words were on a slip of paper inside of the box! I gave it to my friend here... he knows them, I don't!"

"Zen vhy zee fuck didn't you zhust read zee paper before giving eet to zat zing?!"

Luigi goes silent for a few seconds before turning towards his friend. "Because he said the necklace was for YOU. Now he claims that it's for me to keep."

"I don't believe you for a second! Eef you had zee vords even before you came to zis mansion, you should have looked at zem! You're purposefully hiding zem from me, I know eet!"

"I SWEAR I don't know the words! I'm not lying to you! ...Yo, Grabber Ghost, help me out here, will ya?!"

"I smell other humans in here," the killer Grabber grins, turning towards the wooden table.

Gadd moves one arm in front of Mario, making sure that he doesn't burst from under the table. "Don't you move, sonny," he quietly whispers, pulling him closer towards the wall.

"Humans?!" Gore asks crazily, his voice reaching a high decibel, "I knew eet! You brought your little friends along vith you, tooooo?!"

"Help me, ghost! I thought you were my friend...! Tell him the words NOW! Or else!"

"That's IT!" Mario shouts, lifting the shaky table above his head and throwing it across the room, breaking it against the barrels, "whatever is going on here is going to end very soon!"

Luigi begins quivering as he slowly backs toward the door. "M-Mario?! Gadd?! I-I thought you two left me for good...!"

"I would never leave my bro behind," Mario reassures, "it's not in my CHARACTER to do so." He extends his hand out towards Luigi. "Now let's go home and enjoy our lives like the good days!"

Luigi quickly looks back and forth between Mario and Gore. "I-"

"This IS home," the killer Purple Grabber says cleverly, "Luigi's home in specific... and he said that he ditched everyone he loved for US ghosts. If I were you two, I'd leave while I have the chance."

"If you were a true friend of his," Mario replies angrily, "you wouldn't be dragging him into deeper shit! I had doubts about you, but now I know the truth!"

"Oh, please." He thinks, _If Mario were to actually find out about my true nature... ...I'd be forced to dispose of him!_ "Are you trying to say that I am planning to kill him later on? If that were the case, he wouldn't have been so easy to find-"

"ENOUGH!" Gore shouts, flailing his arms around in fury, "I knew eet! I knew eet all along! You vere sent here to spy on us and tell zem our plans! I knew eet. You flipping son of a bitch."

Luigi tightly clenches his fists, staring down at his torn, battered gloves. "I am NOT a spy, and I definitely didn't lie to you...! I meant everything I said about freeing you from King Boo!"

"FREEING? Don't make me laugh! You may have fooled zee ozers, but you sure didn't fool me for a second! Do you truly believe zat abomination vith you eez your 'friend'? Zee newly created ghosts don't have zee full capacity of understanding human emotions! Zat's vhat makes zem veak! I created zem to cause terror and chaos, leading to demise! Call him vhatever you vish, because een zee end, he vill ultimately act on his instinct and end your life!"

"He would NEVER do that to me! He promised that he would protect me from anyone or anything, and I expect him to live up to his word!"

"Zat necklace von't protect you from me, I promise you zat! He von't protect you from me and he definitely von't protect you from me or zee king!" With that, Gore forcefully pushes his way past Luigi, leaving the Breaker Room in rage.

Gadd stands there speechless, thinking to himself that Gore was several feet away from him just now. For Luigi to have actually come this far proves that he is growing into a new person. His fear of ghosts has practically vanished, being replaced with bravery and a more mature standpoint. He thinks, _Maybe Luigi is really capable of changing the hearts of others...I wonder how he's handling all of this._

"Mario, Gadd," Luigi begins to plead, "I-I'm sorry for my reckless behavior. I didn't mean to betray you two like that, but there was no other way to convince you that I am fully capable of taking on this responsibility by myself...!"

Gadd gives him a warm, sympathetic smile. "We know you can do it, Luigi, but let's not get too cocky. Never let your guard down around ANY ghost, especially the killer ones." He begins eying the killer Purple Grabber (sheesh, he really needs to be called something else).

"Of course he can let his guard down," the killer Purple Grabber grins, "I am his FRIEND, and besides, I made him that promise, a promise that I promise to never break."

"Between what you're saying and what Vincent van Gore said about you ghosts, I am beginning to doubt your credibility. I may not know a lot about you, but I most certainly do not believe that he would lie about his creations."

Luigi thinks, _Maybe Vincent van Gore is telling the truth. Maybe this ghost I consider my friend is really going to kill me sooner or later._ He says, "I think it's time for me to find out the real truth behind all of this."

Mario frowns up, twiddling his thumbs to calm himself of the fear deep inside him. "Luigi, I think we should all take a break from this and go back to Mushroom Kingdom. It would be nice for Peach and Daisy to see you again."

"I'm okay, Mario. I think I'll stay here for a few more days. I am beginning to know more about the ghosts."

"Luigi, please, let's go home."

"You guys can go back if you want, but I want to stay."

"Aren't you hungry? I can ask Toadsworth to make that delicious deluxe mushroom stew before we get back."

Gadd raises an eyebrow while intently listening to the desperation in his voice. "Sonny, if he wants to stay here, then let him stay. Meanwhile, we can hang out at the bunker and continue working on my inventions."

"We can't leave him here alone! You heard that artist guy, he practically threatened Luigi's life!"

"Hoho, I'm sure Luigi's been threatened many times, but he still made it through in the end! I was wrong about him at first, but then you told me to not underestimate him!"

Luigi nods in agreement. "Trust me, Mario, I can do this." He smiles before exiting the room with his "buddy".

...

(In the Twin's Room)

Orville lies awake on the top bunk as he stares vaguely at the bedroom ceiling. Ever so slowly he turns to his side, watching Henry continuously roll his plastic toy car on the carpet. He didn't wish to disturb his playtime, otherwise a car would be thrown at him.

"Henry?" Orville asks in a polite tone.

"Huh."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Sneaking outside to hit Spooky with a branch?"

His voice slowly reaches normal again. "Nope, not this time. I was thinking about going to the Billiards Room to ask Slim about those new ghosts!"

Henry sits still on the carpet for some time, then abruptly puts the car down. He sits there, silent. "Why would you want to do THAT out of all things? I heard that they're crazy, especially the ones that grab hold of you and never let go. Papa told me how that crazy artist man compared them to wild animals"

"Wild animals? Does that mean anyone can keep the grabbing ones as pets?"

"Uh, what?"

"That'd be cool! Then we could go outside with it on a leash and let it loose when we see that man with the humongous nose!"

"You mean Luigi? Heck yeah! He'll scream like a little wuss! That's what he'll deserve for cheating in hide-and-seek!"

"Ohh, Mahdeeyoh!"

"Waht-ah doo yah whant, Looweegee?!"

A smug grin appears across Orville's face. "Help-a me pleeeease, Mahdeeyoh!"

"Heyalp yhu wiyuth wuht?!"

"This-a ghost is chasing me everywhere I go!"

"Dayummit, Looweegee! Cain't yoo see dat eiy ayum stuhk eyin dis payntyng?!"

"Uh oh, I think I-a pooped my pants...!"

"The smell is so bad that the grabbing ghost dies! Yhu diyd eit, Looweegee! Yhu sayved dah bouth uf uz!"

"No, it smells so bad that even King Boo ran away!"

"LOOWEEGEE, WAHT DIYD YHU EIT THIYS MAWHNAYNG?!"

"I ATE A QUADRUPLE QUARTER POUNDER WITH A SIDE OF BEAN BURRITOS AND SHROOMS!"

"LOOWEEG-"

With the twist of the doorknob, Henry quickly jumps into bed and throws the covers over his head. Orville gets under the covers and closes his eyes as the bedroom door creaks open.

"You boys are rather noisy this night," Neville casually speaks, still holding a book in his hand, "you know what happens when you're too loud, am I right?"

No response. The twins continue to lie perfectly still, faking their slumber, but Neville continues to speak.

"I'll tell you what happens, you'll wake up your baby brother, and that alone will take another hour and a half to get him to sleep again. Let's not forget what your mother would say if..."

His father's words weren't as important to Orville than finding out more about the new ghosts Gore created. The longer he thinks about it, the more powerful the urge becomes to break his silence.

"...Possibly messing up your baby brother's sleeping pattern, which would result in sleepless nights for all of us."

Orville sits up in bed, cradling a tuft of his soft, blue starry covers against his chest as he prepares to ask his father a question. "Papa, is it okay if I go to the Projection Room to watch a movie?"

"Of course you can."

As Orville begins making his way down the ladder of the bunk bed, Henry then opens his eyes, faking a yawn as he sluggishly gets from under the covers and follows his lead.

"A movie?" Henry quietly asks in confusion, "I thought you were going to the Billiards Room to talk to Slim."

"I am, but I didn't want to take chances if he were to say no."

The twins quickly make their way to the foyer, floating down the stairwell and approaching the main double doors.

"Why don't we just fly through the walls to get there faster?" Henry complains.

"Because Ma said that it was improper for us to do that. We should make it a habit of using doors like regular people."

Moments later, the twins make themselves inside of the Billiards Room, looking around at the mounted portraits and the glossy, checkerboard tiles that made up the floor.

Finally realizing their presence, Slim Bankshot turns toward the both of them. "Are one of you kids up for a game of pool?"

"Actually," Orville speaks up, running his fingers against the smoothed, polished wood of the pool table, "I am curious about the cool new ghosts that artist guy made."

"Ah, those ferocious ghosts," Slim says, placing a hand beneath his chin in a thinking gesture, "I'm sure you figured out that asking Gore himself would be a mistake. Well I'd be obliged to answer any question you may have, child, but beware, some things were not meant to be said. Make sure that Lydia doesn't find out about any of this..."

Orville shudders at his words, contemplating whether he is better off not knowing the truth about the ghouls._ It's better knowing everything rather than wondering all day_, he concludes.

...

"Mario was right," Luigi quavers distressingly, staring at himself through the bathroom mirror (coincidentally near the Billiards Room), "It will do me no good to stay here any longer without proper food... just look at me!" He snatches his hat off from his head, revealing his brittle, dry porous hair. "My hair color is fading!"

"You look perfectly fine," the killer Purple Grabber says to deflect his concern, "it's better than glowing with health."

"No offense, but I think you're crazy. Do you want me to die from malnutrition?"

"...So you want to know the truth about me?" His sudden change in tone forces Luigi to turn around. Something wasn't right about this friend of his, but Luigi hasn't yet grasped the true sense of peril. "But before I tell you anything else, I want you to make me a promise."

Luigi swallows hard, his heart hammering inside of his chest. This is it. This is the truth he nearly died for in the beginning, but is he really going to agree to a promise he has no idea about? Yes, yes he is...


End file.
